On 18th November 1944 the crew of this 578 Squadron aircraft took off from Burn airfield at 12.50hrs to undertake a daylight operational flight to bomb Munster. On their return to the general area of Burn airfield the crew were preparing to land when they collided in mid air with 51 Squadron Halifax NR241 at 17:43hrs. Both aircraft fell on land between the villages of Barlow and Camblesforth at 17:45hrs and sadly every one board both aircraft were killed. Parts of both aircraft that broke away in the collision are believed to have fallen between the two crash sites. I have yet to confirm exactly where the main bulk of each aircraft precisely landed. One crashed into a field just east of Sandpit Wood, Camblesforth (believed to have been Halifax NR241) while the other (Halifax MZ559) crashed into a field on Barlow Common, just west of Barlow village.
Pilot - F/O Thomas Ieuan Milner Evans RAFVR (137624), aged 23, of Bridgend, Glamorgan. Buried Selby Cemetery, Yorkshire (Grave 5353).
Flight Engineer - Sgt John Charles Cordery RAFVR (923564), aged 28. Buried Woodgrange Park Cemetery, East Ham, Essex.
Navigator - F/Sgt Peter Wyper Rattray RAFVR (1521088), aged 24, of Newmains. Buried Cambusnethan Cemetery, Lanarkshire.
Bomb Aimer - F/Sgt Clifford Savery RAFVR (1652979), aged 21. Buried Pontypool (Panteg) Cemetery, Monmouthshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/O William Henry Bush RAFVR (168795), aged 20, of Heckington. Buried Heckington Cemetery, Lincolnshire.
Air Gunner - P/O Kenneth Robert Armstrong RAFVR (188127), aged 28. Buried Pinner Cemetery, Middlesex.
Air Gunner - P/O Joseph Harold Chester RAFVR (187842), aged 36, wife of Grimsby. Buried Scartho Churchyard, Lincolnshire.
Thomas Evans' grave in Selby Cemetery. He received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 30th January 1943 and rose to F/O six months later.
William Bush received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 27th November 1943 and rose to F/O six months later.
Kenneth Armstrong received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 17th November 1944, possibly a back-dated commission granted after his death.
Joseph Chester received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation also on 17th November 1944, possibly a back-dated commission granted after his death.
On 3rd September 1944 this aircraft was being flown by a different crew on an operational flight when it was struck by a bomb falling from a higher flying Lancaster, the Halifax was struck across the rear fuselage and passed through the aircraft in the area of the elsan toilet. Its crew were able to effect a safe return to England and made a landing at the USAAF base at Old Buckenham. The whole rear fuselage was changed in the weeks that followed and it was returned to service.
Historian Eric Barton spent some time field walking both crash sites and relating to the Barlow Common site in September 1997 he found the items shown on this webpage. The top photograph shows typical Halifax part numbers, then in descending order; an instrument face, part of a Dalton Computer and finally a further item with a less common "60..." prefixed Halifax part number. I thank his son for passing these items to me to be re-housed elsewhere.
